Edwards major receives award for excellent international affairs

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Julius Delos Reyes
  • 95th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  An Edwards Airman recently received the 2008 Air Force Materiel Command International Affairs Excellence Award. 

Maj. Matthew Berggren, 445th Flight Test Squadron Weapons and Standardization Evaluations Flight commander, received the award for his outstanding and innovative contributions to international affairs 

"The International Affairs Excellence Award recognizes one individual annually for outstanding contribution that has had the greatest impact in international affairs and was most effective in building, sustaining, expanding and guiding international relationships," said Col. Michael Panarisi, 412th Operations Group commander. 

According to Major Berggren, receiving the International Affairs Excellence award was an honor. 

"I am deeply humbled for being recognized by AFMC and nominated for the International Affairs Excellence Award," the major said. "It was an honor and a privilege to represent the Air Force as an exchange officer to our allies, and to tell them about the outstanding contributions Airmen make daily around the world." 

Major Berggren graduated from the French Delegation General for Armament's Ecole du Personnel Navigant d'Essairs et de Reception Experimental Test Pilot School at Istres Flight Test Center, France. During this time, he went through 575 hours of flight test engineering interaction, conducted in French, including classroom, experiment design, mission control room, flight test techniques and practices, analysis, data reduction and reporting. He built international air force relationship with colleagues from Great Britain, Germany, Italy, India, Spain and France. As part of the program, he flew flight test missions with international test crews in U.S and foreign civilian and military aircraft where he qualified in seven European aircraft. 

He was ranked No. 1 of 50 exchange officer pilots by the commander of U.S. Air Force Europe, Africa and Middle East Personnel Exchange Program. He was the first-ever American to fly the newest omnirole fighter, the Rafale. This gave him the opportunity evaluate the capability, technology and design philosophy for the analog to F-22 Raptor and F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The major was also the first-ever graduate of the new university, Institut Superieur de l'Aeronautique et de l'Espace, Toulouse, France. 

Major Berggren said international relations are necessary for the United States. 

"It is tremendously important to maintain and expand our relations with our allies," he said. "The word 'global' is part of our everyday vocabulary. The elements necessary to combat international terrorism require global cooperation."